Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Final Fantasy VII or any associate material. It all belongs to Squenix.

No More Sad Songs

By: Nanaki BH

With a short gasp, Rufus Shinra opened his eyes. He was perplexed, but only for a moment before he realized he was still in his room. He sighed and contented himself that he had only been dreaming; there was nothing to worry about. He allowed himself to relax and enjoy the warmth of the fire before his bed. The soft warmth soothed his aching muscles and the orange glow lulled him near his dreams again.

He opened his eyes again and wondered as to when he had readied himself a fire. He shrugged. He settled that perhaps he had started it before he went to sleep... but had he left that light on next to his bed? He surely didn't remember that. Wait, he thought; had it been raining before he fell asleep? He pondered this as he stared out the window on the far wall. He shook his head, staring off into one of the dark corners of his room. No, he decided, it wasn't his fault he didn't remember any of it. He'd had a fitful sleep and it was only normal that he didn't remember. He rubbed his shoulders, attempting to release the stress that had been weighing on them. There was still something peculiar going on, but he wasn't sure what. Within only a few more seconds he realized his folly. His shoulders were completely bare. Sometimes he slept without a shirt, but he knew he'd never intentionally slept naked. He gathered the sheets around his waist, wearing no more than a blush. Looking around the room, the shadows in the corners remained still and silent.

With the sheet still gripped firmly at his waist, he stretched out toward the suit case he had brought on the business trip. He had planned on making the trip purely formal, so he hadn't figured he'd need to pack anything remotely comfortable to just sit around in. If only he'd know that's what he'd be doing the entire time; sitting around. He rummaged through the suit case in frantic search of something to wear before his... captor returned. Reno had brought him back, hadn't he? He'd figured that Reno must have found his room key in order to get him back in. Eventually he ran across a pair of plaid flannel pajama pants. How he was glad he'd remember to bring them...

He gave another quick assessment of his room before letting the sheet fall from his waist so he could tug them on. He let out a shaky breath and started for the door. Soon he realized he might not be entirely safe. How was he to be certain that Reno was the one who had brought him back? He could hope he did, at least. Though just to make sure he was safe he grabbed for the gun he knew would be hidden under his pillow.

His eyes grew wide. His hand groped under the pillow and then, frustrated, he pulled the pillow from the bed.

The gun wasn't there.

Immediately he began to panic. He pivoted on his heel and opened up the brief case he left on his dresser top. He flipped open a couple latches and his gun compartment came loose. "Thank God," he muttered hurriedly. He snatched a small pistol and spun the barrel to see if it still had all its ammo. It was missing a bullet but he assumed he wouldn't need to fill anyone with a full round. He grinned. "Hope I don't hurt Reno... if it is Reno. Just hope he doesn't spook me or he'll end up with a good size bullet hole in his head." He shifted the gun in his hand so it wasn't obviously seen to whoever was out side of his room. Confidently, Rufus strode for his bedroom door.

No one appeared to be in the living room of his suite. It was beyond dark. He could hear thunder out side of the windows and he felt an unnerving sense of déjà vu. He looked around cautiously, poking the gun under tables and around corners. He steadied himself in the center of the room. If someone, still most likely to be Reno, had been there then they were gone now. He shook his head with a deep sigh. He must be paranoid. The whole trip had put his nerves on edge. Or, maybe it had been Reno who'd riled him. It wasn't his fault though, it was his own. If he hadn't told him anything he could have kept on like nothing ever happened. It felt awkward to him now. It was more awkward now that he realized his reason for finding Reno. He'd been bored in his room. He needed company... a sort of company he'd never considered before.

What was he thinking? He'd been dreaming. He must have been dreaming.

Still, Reno was as annoying as hell but there was still something oddly endearing about the energetic Turk. Even if it had all been a dream after all, he would probably still feel the way he did.

By now Rufus was seated on the couch, his face in his hands. He breathed deeply and sighed audibly. The suite was quiet and his mind was clear. Just when he felt himself finally slipping into the welcoming embrace of sleep, he was disturbed when a crash came from the small kitchen area of the suite. He jumped and grabbed his gun from where it lay on the couch. This time he didn't bother concealing it. He strode to the kitchen door, waited for a moment in contemplation and then pushed open the door forcefully. He held up the gun with both hands raised, taut and ready to fire.

"You can lower your gun, ya know?" Reno stood at the sink washing some dishes. "Sorry if I woke you. I dropped a plate in the sink. 'S not broken, so don't worry about it." He was chuckling softly, a playful smile on his lips.

Rufus stood dumbstruck until he let himself fall weakly against the door frame. He forced himself to resist the urge to slap himself. Reno scratched his brow, finding Rufus's behavior to be more than a little odd. The clock on the wall made an incessant ticking that only intensified the silence between them. Reno tapped his foot together with the metronome of the clock in an attempt to get Rufus to break the calm first.

To Reno's amusement, Rufus spoke. His voice was raspy and Reno could fell the thick frustration it held. It made him feel responsible, but he had to remind himself he'd done nothing but made breakfast. "Do you know what time it is, Reno?" Rufus's usual bravado somehow seeped back into the words, past the rasp. He cleared his throat and tried his best to straighten himself.

Reno leaned languidly against the kitchen counter. His typical Cheshire grin returned. Yeah, he knew what time it was and his president could tell. "So, I'm guessing you want to know why I'm making breakfast food at ten at night." He flicked some blazing red hair from his eyes with a swift nod of his head. "I'm not exactly a gourmet chef, I hope you know. Besides, I love breakfast food." He sniffed, finally beginning to notice the slight burnt smell. "Damn bacon," he growled under his breath. He turned to the stove, pushed the bacon around a bit and turned off the burner. "I hope those aren't stuck..."

"So you were planning on waking me up anyway?" Rufus asked quietly. There was no way to be sure of it, but to Reno, it looked like his boss was struggling to survive a headache. Reno grabbed his Electromag rod from his belt and generously cast a cure spell on his ailing partner. He shivered visibly as the cool curative magic worked its way through his body. Reno nodded, acknowledging its effect, and tucked the rod back into his belt.

"Listen," Reno muttered. He pulled a cigarette out of the crinkled pack in his back pocket and it lit it with his very generic lighter. "You're new at that whole gay relationship sort of thing aren't you?"

"Well," Rufus sputtered.

The red head leaned his weight on his right foot and leaned back against the counter again. "Shut up. Let me talk here," he said. The cigarette hung loosely from his lips. "If you don't know shit about it, then you have no place to talk. I get why you acted all feme on me and stuff, boss; I would have if I knew nothing about it. I guess it's my experience that would make me hesitate on any actions." He chuckled. "Man, I'd have been all over you."

Rufus rubbed his arms; the sensation of the materia odd to him in his tired and weak condition. Soon, his sleep befuddled mind finally began to comprehend what the Turk was saying.

"You're tired, you're stressed; something like that's odd to you, I get it," he said.

The blonde president gritted his teeth and glared angrily at his intruder. "So what you're saying is that you let me freak out over nothing? You'd have been fine with it? You asshole! Find a nicer way of saying you don't like me! You don't have to try to... teach me how to act. You bastard." He fell back against the door frame and let himself slide down until he was sitting. "I never even gave it any thought," he said, shaking his head. "I just went with what felt right, but it turned into something entirely different than what I wanted. I don't know if it's impulse or not but, Reno, there's something about you." His hands were in his hair, his elbows blocking the view of his face. He didn't want Reno to see him so fragile like that. He felt humiliated. He couldn't understand himself, yet Reno had recognized his feeling immediately. Was he turning him away now or was he just overreacting?

Reno knelt in front of him. He tilted up his chin and Rufus stared at him expectantly. Wordlessly, he pressed his lips firmly to his surprised partner's. Rufus was immediately stunned, but soon realized he needn't be. He relaxed. Finally, he realized there was no need for words, no need for him to worry, and nothing to question.

Except... "Wait, Reno, what did you do with the gun that was under my pillow?"

Author's Notes: Oh my Lord. A fanfic I finally finished. Go me! I hope you fangirls like this installment. Review! It makes me write more!